Forever December
by Trunksblue
Summary: (Completed) Logan finds a little girl abandond outside the local bar.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I own nothing except this storyline and the characters I make up. 

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~*~

The sound of a child crying reached the ears of Logan as he exited the bar and caused him to hesitate briefly.

  'What is a kid doing outside at this time of night?' He thought to himself as he walked around the corner of the building. A child around the age of three sat with its knees drawn up to its chest. The crying had quieted down turning into soft hiccups upon his approach.

Slowly the kid raised its head and sniffed, "Daddy?" It squeaked with a small hiccup.

Logan noted the half untied bow in the girl's long tangled brown hair and frowned. Dirt was smudged on the kid's face, probably from her hands as she wiped at the tears leaking from her big blue eyes.

  "Sorry kid, I'm not yer father." Logan said softly and the girl began to cry again, "Hey now, quit yer cryin' darlin' I'll help you find 'im."

The girl lifted her head again, her lower lip trembled, "He's not coming back." She said softly then buried her head back into her arms. 

Logan frowned briefly then knelt down next to the girl, "What's yer name?" 

He said lifting up the girl's chin so that her eyes met his.

"Madison." She sniffed.

It was then that Logan noticed the blankness he saw in Madison's eyes and furrowed his eyebrows, "Can… can you see?" He said softly and the girl shook her head.

Sighing, Logan picked up the girl as he stood making her gasp in surprise.

"Don't ya worry there darlin', I'm gonna take ya some place safe. Okay?"

Madison nodded then hesitantly rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, exhausted from crying she fell asleep.

~*~

 "Kidnapping kids now, Logan?" 

Logan scowled and gritted his teeth together, "Up yers Scott." He hissed as he made his way into the living room where he laid down the sleeping girl in his arms on the couch. 

 "What's going on?" Came another voice belonging to the Professor. 

Logan turned to Charles, "I found this kid sobbing her eyes out in the alley by the bar." 

Scott snorted and started to leave the room just as Jean entered. She looked at him questioningly and he shrugged as he left. Logan folded his arms over his chest, "I couldn't have just left here their Chuck." 

  "No, no that's not what I'm saying Logan," Charles rested his hands on the armrests of his wheelchair, "She probably has a family worried about her."

Jean stepped into the room and glanced over Logan's shoulder at the little girl on the couch. 

  "Who's she?" 

Logan turned his attention to Jean, "Name's Madison. I found her outside the bar."

 Jean raised an eyebrow, "Someone just _left _her there?"

Logan nodded obvious disgust washed over his face, "An she's blind."

 "Blind?" Charles said wheeling forward to get a better look at the child.

 "Poor kid." Jean frowned.

Logan stepped away from the group then turned and faced them, "She's staying here," He grunted catching the others attention, "I'll take care of her, she didn't deserve to be abandoned like she was." 

 "You… taking care of a child…" Jean started then shook her head in disbelief. 

Charles smiled, "I think it'll be good for you, Logan." 

 "I just hope you know what you're getting your self into." Jean said with a smile of her own.

~*~

 The bedroom door slowly opened with a soft creak. Soft footsteps padded their way into the room and stopped by the edge of the bed. Logan eased open an eye and focused it on the little girl standing in front of him. With a grunt he sat up and glanced at the clock.

… 2:30…AM…

 "What's wrong darlin'?" A hint of agitation laced Logan's voice as he stared down at the little girl.

Madison stared at him blankly then shifted her feet.

 "I had a scawy dweam." She squeaked rubbing her eyes. 

 "A scary dream huh?" Logan said getting to his feet.

Madison nodded and bowed her head. 

Logan reached down and picked up the girl, "What was yer dream about?" 

 "A monster." Madison said softly as she laid her head down on Logan's shoulder.

 "Don't ya worry about no monster, darlin', yer safe here."

Madison nodded and closed her eyes falling back to sleep. Logan smirked and took her back to her room then went back to his room where he promptly fell back to sleep.  

~*~ 

Morning came fast with the familiar sound of the door creaking open and the shuffling of feet.

 "I'm hungwy." Came the small voice from behind Logan's sleeping form.

Without much thought, Logan pulled the blankets up over his head.

 "Wogan?" Said the small voice again.

 "Nnn?" Mumbled Logan from under the blankets then sat up straight and looked down at Madison.

 "Wogan?"

 "Yeah, I'm here kid." He said with a yawn and got up, "Hold on fer a sec." Picking up his jeans off the floor he pulled them on over his boxers then turned to Madison, "Yer hungry?" 

Madison nodded, "Jean made pancakes." She said with a smile.

Logan raised an eyebrow, "Oh? How did ya know that?"

 "She towd me and Scott said to wake you up."

Logan frowned.

 "Aren't you hungwy, Wogan?"

 "Yea… I guess I am." Logan said with a smile.

Madison smiled back then took a step in the direction she thought the door was in, "Can… can you carwy me?" She said softly looking up in the direction she thought Logan was at.

 "Sure darlin'," Logan chuckled and lifted her up, "How do ya get here in the first place?"

Madison furrowed her eyebrows, "You talk when you sleep." She said softly, "You were sad."

~*~

A/N: PLEASE REVIEW!!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't really own it… for now… 

A/N: Thank you Lisa for your review. ^_^

_*And I can remember_

_Forever December_

_The center of dying, the heart of the pain_

_The rose in the bottle, the thorns in the bottom_

The stars surround me, the cold astounds me* 

  ---_Forever December_

_  Matchbox Twenty_

~*~

 "You think that she is making those dreams up?"

Logan nodded, "She comes in every night at 'round the same time… when I start havin' those dreams…"

 "Your nightmares." Professor Xavier said as he rested his chin on his clasped hands.

 "Yea… my nightmares…" Logan turned away scowling.

 "Where is the child now?"

Logan lifted his head, "With Jean. Madison said somethin' 'bout not feelin' well and Jean took her down to the lab. Not 'nough sleep's my guess." 

The Prof. nodded, "Have you considered talking to Madison about these nightmares, hers I mean?"

Logan hesitated a moment then turned and walked out of the small office. 

 The Prof. sighed as he turned towards the window behind him; something told him trouble was coming…

~*~

   ~_Fast-forward Two years…~_

 It was storming again… It had stormed off and on all month and not just outside the mansion but inside as well.

  Logan growled as he dodged the pair of razor blades flying towards him; but he moved a tad to slow and was nicked across his arm. Snarling out in pain and anger he shoved his claws into the floor and shouted at the machine to turn off. One drop of blood hit the ground before the wound sealed off completely and he was whole again… almost. Slowly he jerked his claws free from the floor and retracted them as he stood. Sweat dripped off his brow and ran down his face and neck as he looked around the Danger Room.

  "Logan?" came Jean's soft voice from over the speakers from the control room, "Madison is asking for you again." 

He nodded letting her know that he had heard then headed to the showers. 

~*~

 Jean sighed softly as she exited the lab (For lack of a better word.) and was surprised to find Logan standing just outside the door. 

 "Logan? You alright?" 

  "How… how long she got?" He asked gruffly staring over her shoulder at the door.

Jean shook her head sadly, "Not very long, she's been getting worse everyday… ever since we took the tumor out…"

Logan scowled, "Let me pass." 

 "A-alright." Jean took a step to the side allowing Logan entrance to the next room.

~*~

 Ignoring the fact that Jean had followed him into the room Logan pulled up a chair next the side of the bed. Madison's blue eyes stared up at the ceiling unblinking. 

 "Hey darlin', ya hear me?" He said softly.

Madison blinked and turned her eyes toward Logan and smiled, "I… I can see you Logan."

Logan smiled sadly, "That's great darlin'. Ya feelin' better today?" 

 "My head hurts…" Madison frowned her eyes welling up with tears, "My hair's gone Logan…" She blinked and the tears rolled down her cheeks.

Logan frowned and using his thumb wiped away the tears, "Don't ya start cryin' there darlin', yer gonna be okay."

   Jean blinked back her own tears clutching her clipboard to her chest; she had never seen Logan like this before. Frowning she quietly left the room and leaned against the wall just outside the door.

  Madison closed her eyes, "Logan…?" 

 "I'm here." He stroked her cheek softly with the side of his finger. 

The steady beat of the heart monitor suddenly deadlined startling Logan to his feet. 

 "Madison?!" He shouted shaking her shoulder softly, "JEAN!!" He yelled over his shoulder and both Hank and Jean ran in to the little girl. 

 "Logan you need to stand back here please." Jean said softly guiding Logan to the door.

 "What the Hell's goin' on!?" Logan shouted but Jean had already went back to help Hank revive the little girl.

Logan backed up against the wall suddenly feeling dizzy…

~*~

 To Be Continued…

A/N: Please Review.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own X-men only the characters I make up.  

A/N: Thank you UberNekoChan and Xiowolfe for reviewing. ^_^ 

~*~

*_I can't see that thief_

_That lives inside of your head_

_But I can be some courage at_

_The side of you bed_

_I don't know what's happening_

_And I can't pretend*_

_ --Thief by Our Lady Peace—_

_~*~_

**_    ~Two years earlier~ _**

 The yellow crayon rolled off the table and fell to the floor landing with a slight bounce before it settled next to the leg of the wooden chair. Two more crayons, pink and green, met the same fate as the yellow crayon as they too rolled off the table and fell to the floor. Madison set down her black crayon and reached for another color from the box pushing the black crayon off the edge as she did so. Her hand met an empty crayon box causing a slight twitch at the corners of her mouth. Carefully she felt around for another crayon on the table and found nothing but the paper she had been coloring on. Logan sauntered in on the scene and stopped dead in his tracks. A whole box of 24 crayons were scattered on the floor around the chair that Madison was currently seated in. 

 "Wogan?" Madison squeaked in her usual tiny voice, "I can't find my crayons. Will you help me wook for them?" She said tilting her head to the side.

Logan raised an eyebrow, how did she know he had been standing there? 

 "Sure darlin'," He said clearing his throat as he stepped up to the table, "Ya keep knockin' 'em off the table, darlin'." He chuckled as he bent down to retrieve some of the crayons. Madison smiled and hopped of her chair to help pick up the crayons. Her hands wandered over the floor blindly every now and then stumbling across a crayon she had dropped. Logan watched with slight amusement as she went in circles with her hand just missing the last crayon every time.

 "Almost darlin'," He smirked pushing the crayon into her path.

Madison smiled in triumph as her hand came across the last crayon and she stood up dumping the handful of crayons she had back onto the table. Logan sighed and picked up the two that had fallen back onto the floor then began the task of putting all the crayons back into the box. 

 "What were ya drawin' there?" He asked casually glancing at the paper Madison had been coloring on.

Madison climbed back up into her chair and picked up the, "It's for you." She smiled holding out the picture in front of her.

 Logan furrowed his eyebrows and took the picture. Scribbles of every color filled the paper; there were even a few misshapen stick figures with their head's and other limbs separated from their bodies. 

 Logan quirked an eyebrow at the picture, "Thanks darlin'." He said as he looked over the picture again.  

Madison smiled happily, "Can I have a Popsicle? " She asked hopping back off her chair. 

 "Sure darlin', then we have ta go see Jean. Okay?" Logan said softly as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a Popsicle from the 'fridge. Madison nodded as she took the frozen treat from Logan and grinned happily. 

 Logan smiled sadly down at her and folded his arms over his chest; Jean had said she found something while checking Madison over. She thought that it might be a tumor of some sort and the reason why Madison was blind. It had only been a week and Logan had to admit he was already attached to the kid. So it frightened him that something could be wrong with her, something that could even take her life. Madison handed the stick back to Logan and wiped her hands off on her blue jeans. 

  "Alright, let's go." Logan said taking Madison's hand.

~*~

 "It's a tumor alright," Hank scratched his chin as he looked over an X-ray of Madison's head, "It would be best if we remove it, if it gets any bigger."

 Logan crossed his arms over his chest, "So yer gonna hafta remove it?" 

Hank shook his head, "Not right now, we just have to keep a close eye on her for now." 

~*~

**_~Three Weeks Before The Present~_**

  "It's getting bigger," Jean said looking over the X-rays with Logan, "We're going to have to remove it."

 Logan stared at the X-ray then looked over his shoulder at Madison sitting on the medical table talking to Hank, aka Beast. 

  "What happens if we don't?" He said turning back to Jean.

 "She will die."

 Logan frowned, "And if it's removed she'll be better, right?"

Jean sighed and looked Logan in the eyes, "Look Logan, I'm not going to lie to you. It'll be a difficult operation and she might not live through it. And if we're lucky she will and she'll be fine and maybe even regain her sight. But things could happen, if not treated right she could get an infection or there could be other complications."

 "This thing can kill 'er either way." 

 "Yea," Jean said sadly, "I'm sorry Logan, but it's up to you whether or not we operate." 

Logan looked over his shoulder at Madison again, "She'll be able to see again if ya do the operation?"

Jean reluctantly nodded, "It should."

 "Then do it." He said looking Jean in the eyes before walking over to Madison and Hank.

Jean sighed and looked back at the X-ray of Madison's head and frowned.

~*~

**_ ~Three Days Later~_**

Logan sat with Madison on the medical table as they waited for Jean to come in. Madison clutched a teddy bear to her chest and began to swing her legs off the side of the table.

 "I'm scared." She whispered into the bear as her eyes began to water.

Logan looked down at her, "Don't worry darlin', you'll be fine."

 "Promise?" Madison squeaked as the tears ran down her cheeks.

  "I promise." Logan whispered wiping the tears away with his thumb.

Madison scooted closer to him and leaned her head against his chest, "Am I gonna die?" She asked softly.

Logan wrapped his arm around her, "No. Yer not gonna die." He said softly trying to keep the uncertainty from his voice.

Jean walked in and smiled sadly at the two then cleared her throat catching their attention, "Hey Maddy, I'm going to cut your hair now. Okay?"    

 Madison sat up and nodded then grabbed onto Logan's hand, "You'll stay with me, right?" She whimpered hugging her bear close with her other arm.

 "Yea darlin', I'll stay." 

~*~

 **_~Now~_**

Logan backed up against the wall feeling slightly dizzy and overwhelmed by what was going on. Squeezing his eyes shut he grabbed his head in an attempt to stop the spinning. The high-pitched screech of the heart monitor suddenly stopped and was replaced with the sound of steady beeps. Logan's eyes snapped open at the sound. Suddenly Jean was in front of him a somewhat relieved smile on her face.

 "We brought her back but she has slipped into a coma." She reported sadly.

Logan brushed past her to the bed where Madison currently resided in, looking as though she were in a peaceful slumber.  

~*~

A/N: Please Review!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: X-men is NOT mine… L

****

A/N:  Thank you everyone for your reviews!! ^_^ I got more than I had expected so thank you all so much! 

Warning: There is some slight Scott bashing and talk of suicide in this chapter. 

~*~

**_(Logan's POV)_**

Life-somethin' that hadn't made sense to me fer a long time. Every little piece o' memory from my past is either filled with pain or sorrow, that's my life. I couldn't even take it away from myself 'cause every cut every bullet to the head just healed over… Sure it hurt like Hell, everything hurt like Hell…  There was no one who shared my pain, no one knew who I even was. Hell, _I _didn't even know who I was, still don't. So I tried to drown myself pity in alcohol and smoke and it worked for a while, but then everything would come back again ten-fold and I was back to square one. After becoming an X-men things started to change. I had meaning. Some of the kids were even coming up to me fer advice; this was defiantly a change to what I had been used to. 

Then I found Madison. A frightened trembling kid lost in an alley behind a pub. I must've been crazy or drunk at least that night 'cause the next thing I knew I had promised to take care o' the kid. 

 Then she got sick, really sick. Fer some reason I was scared fer her. Then it dawned on me, I cared fer the kid like she was my own daughter or somethin'. When she woke up after the operation and saw me fer the first time… she smiled… 

 That's when I made the second promise, I promised to let nothing ever happen to her. I would protect her. 

~*~

Steady beeps of the heart monitor echoed throughout the nearly empty room.

   _-Beep- -Beep- -Beep- Beep-_

He had to be patient this time and everyone knew that he, the Wolverine, was not a patient man. But he had made a promise and he kept his promises no matter what. But this, this was strangling him alive. He wanted so much to just take the place of the little girl who had somehow squeezed herself into his heart without even trying.

  "Come on kid…" He pleaded silently leaning forward in his chair, "Open yer eyes fer me darlin'."

A slow steady sigh escaped his lips when nothing happened, not even a slight twitch. Softly he stroked her cheek wishing for a moment that she was like Rogue and he could give her part of his healing factor. He drew his hand back running it threw his hair, he wouldn't give up hope like the others. He could see it in their eyes, 'The Look' people give you when they think you've lost it. Lost all hold on reality, the only connection to what's really there and what's not. It's also 'The Look' they give you when they think you're believing in a lost cause but don't want to say anything. Every now and then he would get 'The Look' from Scott and it angered him beyond all Hell. He would just as easily pop out his claws and rip out Scott's throat if it weren't that he wasn't still in love with Jean. And he didn't want to see Jean hurt… that and he'd probably make the Professor pretty mad and get kicked out. He smirked to himself at the thought and let his eyes wander away from the wall and back to Madison.

 Her hand twitched.

Logan raised an eyebrow unsure of what he just saw and her hand twitched again and curled up into a fist. Forgetting his chair, Logan leapt to his feet and not taking his eyes away from the girl shouted for Jean or someone to come quick. Hank was on the scene first and immediately began checking the monitors and other stuff. 

 "She's coming around." Hank smiled as he looked over a chart.

Jean ran into the room suddenly looking like she just crawled out of bed, and probably did considering it was 2:30 in the morning. 

 "What's going on?" She asked as she slid to a stop in front of Beast.

Hank raised a bushy blue eyebrow at her then smiled, "Well it looks as though our little friend here is waking up."  

 "Really? That's great!" She said looking over her shoulder at the girl, "Well… if that's it… I'm going to go back to sleep."

Hank nodded and watched Jean leave before turning to Logan, "I suggest you get some sleep also." 

 Logan nodded and Hank left.

With a sigh Logan flopped back down into the chair by the side of the bed and yawned. He didn't even notice that he had fallen asleep until he began to dream, or more like have nightmares… _He was strapped down to a cold metal table and people began to surround him some taking notes on their clipboards while others pricked his skin with needles. His hands suddenly began to burn ferociously with pain and he couldn't even scream.     _

 Suddenly he was on the ground panting in fear; slowly he stood to his feet running a hand through his hair as he did so. A soft whimper to his right caught his attention. He turned slowly and looked down at Madison who looked back up at him with tear filled blue eyes. She whimpered again unable to speak due to the tube in her mouth and the tears fell. Logan acted immediately pulling the tube from the girl's lungs. Madison coughed and took several deep breaths.

  "You okay darlin'?" Logan softly wiped away the tears from Madison's cheeks.

 Madison nodded and smiled, "I saw an angel. He told me that I had to open my eyes." She whispered, "He said I would be okay." 

~*~

A/N: Please Review!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: If you don't know it by now then I guess you're crazy… or don't read this part… But anyways, I DON'T OWN X-MEN! ^_^

A/N:  Thank you everyone who reviewed the last chapter!  I'm thinking I'm going to make this the last chapter to this story. Then I'm going to start another one about Madison being older… but I'm not sure yet. Depends on what you guys think, so review! ^_^  

~*~

Laughter was heard in the back yard of the mansion where a few students stood around on the lawn playing tag with the only five year old in the mansion, Madison. Logan observed the scene from his spot underneath a rather large oak tree, where he sat with his back up against the trunk of the tree and his arms folded over his chest. It had been a week since Madison woke up looked him in the eye and told him she had saw an angel and she was going to be alright. Maybe she had really seen an angel, that he wasn't sure of, but the truth of the matter was that she had been right. 

  "Logan!" The little girl squealed leaping into his arms, "They're tryin' to get me!" She laughed twisting herself around so she could see the others. 

Logan raised an eyebrow, "An' what am I supposed ta do?" 

  "Save me!" Madison laughed grinning up at him.

Logan smirked at the three teens that had gathered around him, "Here ya guys go." He said handing Madison over who looked at him with disbelieving eyes.

 "Hey!" She squealed wrapping her arms around his neck, "Don't let me go! Don't let me go!" She shouted gripping the back of his neck tighter. 

 "Game's over." Logan chuckled standing up with Madison still holding onto his neck, "Hank's gotta check yer stitches now anyways." He said to Madison then looked up at Bobby and Rogue, "Thanks fer watching the squirt fer me." 

The two teens merely nodded as they watched the man known to them as Wolverine walk away.

  "I think I've seen it all," Bobby whispered to Rogue and Jubilee just in case Logan was still in hearing range, "Wolverine caring for a kid and actually enjoying it!"

 Jubilee and Rogue both giggled, "Ah think it's kinda cute." Rogue smiled causing Jubilee to laugh a little harder.

 Bobby rolled his eyes, "Women…"

~*~  

 "Everything looks good, I'll be removing the stitches in another week." Hank smiled looking over his clipboard, "Just be careful, okay?"

Madison nodded smiling, "I will."

 "Oh and another thing, How are your eyes? They feel okay?"

Madison looked at Beast with a look of confusion, "Yes?"

Hank chuckled, "Alright I'll let you go now," Carefully he lifted Madison off the examination table and set her on the floor.

 Madison smiled and ran over to Logan who was waiting on the other side of the room, "Thanks Hank," He grunted with a nod of his head as Madison pulled him out of the room.

 "I'm hungry Logan." 

 "Alright kiddo, what do ya want?" Logan asked as they walked down the hall towards the kitchen.

Madison smirked, a small trait she had picked up from him, "Candy." She said as innocently as she could. 

 "Candy? Yea right squirt I'm not givin' ya candy fer lunch."

 "But Rogue does." Madison said trying for plan two.

Logan stopped and looked down at Madison with furrowed brows, "Yea right kid, I ain't fallen fer that one _again_."

Madison sighed in defeat, "Okay. I want chicken!" She smiled, "An' macaroni 'n cheese!" 

 "That's better…" Logan said slowly as they entered the kitchen, "Now I gotta…" 

Madison scampered over to a chair at the table and watched Logan rummage through the 'fridge then suddenly stop. A mischievous grin spread across his lips, 'JEAN!! JEAN!!' He called out telepathically and soon after Jean Grey came running into the kitchen.

She looked around frantically for a moment then up at Logan, "What?! Something wrong? I don't see anything wrong!" She said worriedly still looking around.

 "No, nothin's wrong Jean," Logan smirked, "But could ya help me make macaroni and cheese for Madison?"

Jean's eyes widened temporarily then narrowed dangerously. A loud 'CRACK' echoed throughout the kitchen and the angry red head stomped out of the room while shouting, "Men!"

Logan looked over at Madison in shock a flaming red handprint on his right cheek.

 "Ouch." Madison said smothering a giggle with her hand.

Logan blinked then smirked, "Guess I gotta make it myself." 

~*~

Lunch wasn't as bad as Logan had thought it would be, making macaroni and cheese was easier than he had originally thought. So was the chicken. Madison was once again in the care of Rogue, Bobby and Jubilee while Logan went to talk to professor Xavier in his office. 

 "You're moving out?" Charles said rather incredulously.

Logan nodded folding his arms over his chest, "Yea, gotta place up in Canada."

 "What about Madison?" 

 "There's a school not to far from the house, She's old enough to start in the fall."

Charles nodded somewhat reluctantly, "All right. If that's what you want to do." 

 "It is. We'll be leaving tomorrow morning." Logan said gruffly as he left the room.

~*~

 "Promise you'll come back and visit us?" Jubilee wiped at her eyes with her sleeve.

Logan rolled his eyes at the girl, "I have ta bring Madison back ta get her stitches removed."

 "But you'll visit us after that right?" Rogue piped up.

 "Yea kid don't worry, we'll visit ya guys." Logan smiled as he handed Madison a helmet he had gotten earlier for her.

Madison smiled at the two teens, "Bye Rogue, bye Jubes!" She said hugging each of them before running over to Logan who was already sitting on his bike.

Carefully he lifted Madison up and put her on the seat in front of him then revved the engine. Madison waved to everyone before Logan took off down the driveway and they were gone. 

~*~

A/N: Please Review!


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